Tree Farm

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CuttingEdge
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Tree Farm

Post by CuttingEdge » Fri Mar 25, 2016 4:13 pm

Does anyone else belong to the Tree Farm System?

I have put it off for years, but now that I have a decent crawler that can really log all of my woodlot and not just part of it, I started the process of certification.

This is different than Tree Growth so there is no property tax benefits to what I am doing, its just that we have cut our woodlot the right way for generations and decided now was the time to be certified. I was pretty fortunate, my forester, and the same one who wrote my Forest Management Plan is one of the voluntary foresters that certify woodlots, and the state forester has been here many times, and he is the county Chair, so for my wife and I, the process was pretty easy.

I think for us it was a sound decision.
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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CuttingEdge
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Post by CuttingEdge » Mon Apr 11, 2016 10:55 am

I realize no one replied to this thread, and that is okay, I just wanted to update you on what was happening and how the certification process works in case anyone else is contemplating it.

The forester did have to come back and check out my woodlot because she had not been on it for 6 months, but it easily passed. In fact it is a rather easy process. Getting the Forest Management Plan is the hardest part and really only because it costs about $1500/100 acres.

Unfortunately its not the only accreditation that is required to do what I need to do, which is be able to market low grade wood. With paper mills closing down all over Maine; last fall, 3 in one week were sold to scrap dealers if that tells you anything. So I'll need to be accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council which is harder to obtain and naturally more restrictive.

None of this is an end-run around rules to get what I want. We have always taken care of our forest and being able to get rid of the low grade wood, and not just high-grade (a terrible form of forest management) is important. This is a photo of me explaining that to my daughter, a white pine used for our homes flooring.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hp ... e=57BC58C3
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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Lavoy
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Post by Lavoy » Mon Apr 11, 2016 1:19 pm

No real indigenous trees here, pretty much all have been planted at one time or another. I think I have see the signs along the road in MN, lots of logging there.
Funny, the wife just last night was talking about us going to Maine for a vacation.
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CuttingEdge
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Post by CuttingEdge » Mon Apr 11, 2016 6:18 pm

Come on up, and let me know if you do as there is lots to see. Most people like the coast, and it gets a bit crowded, but I can understand the draw.

It depends what you like, but I live in mid-coast Maine so I am pretty central to stuff like the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, Moose Point State Park, all the lighthouses in Rockland, Owls Head and Stockton Springs. Acadia National Park is only 1-1/2 hours away, but worthy of seeing. If I could figure out how to post pictures on here, I KNOW you would make it to the top of Cadillac Mountain on your trip.

As for my home; its not much, but you are always welcome here Lavoy. You have always been very kind to me as well as others on here, and if I can repay that kindness by hosting you and your bride; you are more than welcome.
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

Scottyb
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Post by Scottyb » Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:27 pm

Cutting Edge,,,,
So far, only indigenous trees on our property. Although we have large tracks of un populated provincial forests near by that were re planted after clear cutting for pulp. The Pulp Mill here closed a decade ago. Not for a lack of trees, It just could not make a buck. 1200 jobs however, at the time everyone needed skilled workers so it has not been such a disaster as many predicted.

Nice photo of you and your daughter.
The kids now miss a lot with their computers and such. My kids, now all adults, did not take much interest in the land or my equipment. Perhaps the grand kids will see the joy in it. I learned the hard way that if you don't harvest the mature trees, they will blow over in a big event and then you have some heavy work to do!
I have never heard of forest management for small holdings like mine around here but your post has me thinking I had better look into it.
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scampr
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Post by scampr » Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:58 pm

what is the advantages to doing the tree farm always been curious about it but no idea about it. I wonder if NH is the same about it..???
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cowboy4996
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Post by cowboy4996 » Mon Apr 11, 2016 10:31 pm

All I have here is juniper trees, and they are like weeds. So part of my fun is pushing them over with the crawler, and burning them in my stove in the shop.
When I was a youngster, there was a guy who lived about 40 miles away next to the forest. He had "Tree Farm" signs on the fence next to the highway and his place always looked very well kept. After he passed away, his kids lived there and kept it up until they got too old to take care of it. I don't think any of his kids had children, so alas, it was sold to some big comglomerate who came in and logged the heck out of it.....they didn't destroy the place, but it doesn't look anywhere near as nice. The family had a JD 440 diesel crawler that they used on the place..must have bought it new or nearly new. In the '90's a buddy of mine worked on the reverser for them and I helped him some. They didn't want to spend the money for the parts to fix it, so they had him just put the shaft in. It seems like it brought good money at their auction.
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CuttingEdge
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Post by CuttingEdge » Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:08 am

The advantages are being able to market your low grade wood.

The high grade wood like sawlogs are always in demand, especially now as property taxes are going up and the cycling of logging on a given tract is reduced. That means tree size is getting smaller and so with the big diameter trees that I have for sawlogs, every sawmill wants those, but good forestry is often about taken out the less desirable wood so the better trees can grow. This is the real advantage.

EVERYONE has this kind of wood, but a paper mills have agreements in place where they prioritize where they buy their wood. In the last few years the paper industry has been pretty robust so they got their wood from anyone, anywhere. Now there is a glut in the market so they are buying limited amounts of certain species of wood. Since anything I cut can be considered a "green forest product" or "sustainable", mills take preference for this wood. And they should. We are not just cutting this kind of wood because we have it and are trying to make a buck, we are cutting it to improve our forests for future generations.

In the areas where I am clearing land to make more tillable land (90% of our land base here is forest and 10% is field) I cannot market my wood under the Tree Farm System...or any other system.

I hope this makes sense, but I can clarify better if I must.
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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CuttingEdge
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Post by CuttingEdge » Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:19 am

Here is a picture kind of showing you what I mean by generations of really being conservative of how we cut wood. This area was thinned in 1994 and some bigger logs taken out in 2006. A look in the background will show it is not just one or two big trees...it is a forest full of them.

A little more explanation is also needed.

The items in the picture kind of show the size of the tree, though I must be honest I don't often just take photos of trees nor lug high heels out in the woods. My wife and I did a silly photoshoot of her as Little Red Ridinghood and me as the Logger who saved her from the Big Bad Wolf, but when I put the pictures on another forum some people were offended and I was kicked off that site, so this is just of the axe, cross-cut saw and Little Red Ridinghood cloak so as not to offend anyone on here.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=57B11B86
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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CuttingEdge
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Post by CuttingEdge » Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:24 am

scampr wrote:what is the advantages to doing the tree farm always been curious about it but no idea about it. I wonder if NH is the same about it..???
It is actually getting scary. I am not sure where you live in New Hampshire but we have a house in Lisbon NH in addition to the ones here in Maine. My wife's family who is from there and still logs there, sends their wood to the same mill we do in Rumford and Jay. That is pretty scary because the house in NH is 175 miles from our home! That is a BIG land area for so few mills.
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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Post by gus » Tue Apr 12, 2016 11:32 am

I'm slowly working towards clearing brush and reforresting about 10-15 acres.
Started like this
Image
put in vineyard terraces, look at the area beyond the terraces.
Image
look at the same area beyond the terraces now
Image
taken yesterday, from inside the area
ImageImageImage

The road was built with a small excavator then cleaned, widened and finished with my 420.

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Lavoy
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Post by Lavoy » Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:53 pm

Man that looks like fun!
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Post by gus » Tue Apr 12, 2016 2:02 pm

A couple more photos of the area.
The vineyard now,
ImageImageImage

the area cleared had 30-40' high heavy brush, cleared with 550 and 650 JD's by a logger. 2 large slash piles I burned and several smaller ones to close to the other tree and brush to burn.

those big pines are way over 100 yrs old.

this is where my shop and house are now, looking from about where the vineyard is.
Image

The area cleared is steep and above it, it's really steep !
Image

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Stan Disbrow
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Post by Stan Disbrow » Tue Apr 12, 2016 3:17 pm

Hi,

Around here, they cut a central path in a woodlot, then cut swaths off the central paths, taking everything in each swath. So, in the end they have alternating trees and no trees. In a couple decades, they do it again, now taking what the left the first time and leaving what has grown up in the first swath.

And, it seems, everyone sports a Tree Farm sign.....

Stan
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CuttingEdge
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Post by CuttingEdge » Tue Apr 12, 2016 3:33 pm

Sadly that is true Stan.

The Tree Farm Program started out pretty strong, but then lost some of its clout. Years ago they never paid their foresters, they were volunteers so while they checked in on new applicants, they never checked to make sure the older tree farms were abiding by their rules. We all know what happens when that occurs.

So now there are two more certifications, Forest Stewardship Council which was set up by the environmentalists, and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative set up by the logging, paper mills and sawmills who thought the former was too restrictive. SFI requires 10,000 acres so most family forests are eliminated automatically from that.

I will have both the Tree Farm and the Forest Stewardship Council certification even as restrictive as the latter is.
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!

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